


Ring(tone)

by Aki_Saiko (saikowrites)



Series: Writober 2019 [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Confused teens who dont know what to do with their feelings, Dumb middle school games, F/M, Hawaiian makeouts, Inktober2019, Missing Moments, No spoiler past the first days of september, Two Truths and A Lie, Writober 2019, ring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 10:01:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20851604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saikowrites/pseuds/Aki_Saiko
Summary: Mishima is knocked out by hawaiian tap water and Akira is (unrealistically) unlucky enough to have to stick with him. Ann and Ryuji sneak out of the room and play a questionable game that leads to some unpredicted outcome.WRITOBER 2019 | Day 1: Ring | Based on the official Inktober 2019 prompt list.





	Ring(tone)

**Author's Note:**

> I said only very short stories for this writober, I told myself that I must stick to 800-1000 words per day.  
Jokes on me, I can't be concise even if I'm trying my best. But it took me three days of writing between various irl tasks such as work and university, so I hope the next ones won't turn out this long too because I can't afford not sleeping at night.
> 
> Proofreading was very fast and poor so I might edit something tomorrow during lunch break. 10/10 I forgot some s with the third person verbs and messed with tenses but well. It's amost midnight here in italy and I must hurry.
> 
> Enjoy the dorks!

Ann’s phone buzzes in her pocket. She pulls it out from the tightness of her shorts and checks the notification.

“Akira’s saying Mishima is doing horribly and wishes us a good time out here.”

A sigh, a hand scratching the back of his neck and Ryuji leans down beside her against the plaster of the shed in the hotel’s garden.

He ignores what she’s said. “So… like, who should go fist?”

“This dumb middle school game was your idea Ryuji; I’m not going first” Ann replies, tugging at her ponytail.

“Jeez, you’re makin’ all sounds like stayin’ in that room with Mishima pukin’ all the damn dinner in the toilet was any better. Besides, I thought you liked those ‘dumb middle school games’ as well as any form of gossiping.”

The sea breeze is a gentle touch on her cheeks and tired eyes, carrying away some of the sleepiness. Goosebumps forms on her uncovered arms, her hoodie abandoned in a locked room of which she doesn’t have the key.

Oh, Tsukuda will regret this. She didn’t do that on purpose, Ann understands that, but you don’t do something stupid as fleeing to your boyfriend bringing with you the only key of a shared room and expect to still get your help in English. Or, being greeted with something else aside from a scolding, really.

She bites her lower lip.

“Well, I suppose I can’t exactly complain. I’m not the one who’s in the bathroom by his side right now.”

“Akira’ll totally get his payback on us when we’ll be back in Japan, you know.”

“Card games are impartial. But yes, I still feel a bit sorry for him.”

“Right. So, are we at least tryna enjoy this night out and away from chaperones?”

Ryuji grins and puts up his thumb. And there’s probably nothing else in the world that can make Ann forget about bearing a grudge.

“You still go first, Ryuji. Your idea, your responsibility. And yes, I like nosing around my friends’ personal life, but in the old-fashioned way: by asking directly and pressing for an answer.”

The smile vanishes from the boy’s face.

“Man, you’re terrible Ann.”

Ann giggles and lets her gaze wander, but there’s not so much to observe. In front of her, the hedge that separates the garden grass and tiled path from the pool area; beside her, the rest of the garden and Ryuji absorbed in thought with the three sentences of the game, dimly illuminated by the moon and the weak wall light above them.

In searching a spot, they avoided places near the beach, or anywhere that could have been considered romantic even in the slightest, honestly. Couples sneaking off had already caused too much trouble to them both.

“Ok so. Two truths and a lie. I get them.”

He turns his gaze to Ann for a moment. He looks back at the hedge.

“First one. I used to score fairly in tests back in elementary school.”

Ann tries not to laugh picturing in her head an 8-year-old Ryuji who proudly shows his achievements to his mother. A fantasy way happier than reality, according to the boy’s family history.

“Second one. I once caught the biggest fish at Ichigaya fishing pond with Akira.”

“Last one. In my free time – “

“If I have to play this game and you don’t give me something spicy, I will kill you with my whip next time we go to Mementos, I swear” Ann interrupts him.

“There’s no effin’ rule about that – ok, fine, don’t give me that Panther look, please” he mutters, lowering his head.

She elbows the boy and smirks. Getting Ryuji flustered for talking about his love life should be considered heritage of humanity.

He clears his throat.

“I’ve never asked a girl out.”

Ann laughs and smacks his arm.

“I totally don’t believe you on this one. You were like, track team star back in middle school. I refuse to think you didn’t find the courage to ask a girl out. I certainly see you conspiring with Mishima and Akira about that now. So, this last one sounds fake to me.”

Ryuji gives her a bitter smile. Ann’s laughter quiets down.

“Wait a moment” she leans towards him and catches his eyes with hers “you’re serious about that.”

“Jokes on you, I’m that pathetic, yeah. And horrible at fishing, too. I mean, not that Akira was any better that time.”

Guilt knots her stomach. She well remembered Ryuji being one of the main topics of conversations among her peers at 13 when it came to pretty boys.

“You’re not – ok, well, maybe a bit, but it’s ok! At least you’re not one of those creeps who obsesses over the same girl for ages without even talking to her.”

“Woah Panther, nice jab” whistles Ryuji.

She sniggers and fist-bumps him. _Sorry not sorry Mishima._

It’s Ryuji who elbows her this time. “Your turn now.”

Ann reflects on what she could say. She has known Ryuji since middle school, he was one of the first classmates who spoke to her and one of the few who didn’t ask if she could translate this or that from Japanese to English and vice versa. Still, she caught him watching her from his desk more than once. He used to freeze, his face red and his fists clenched, and then turn away his eyes as quick as he could.

Well, maybe he was indeed that clumsy with girls and she never noticed.

_What to say, what to say._

“Ok, I’m ready. First, I’ve never been in France.”

“Second: I don’t miss my parents as much as one would expect.”

The last one is trouble. She needs a truth, but it’s only fair it’s something personal after Ryuji’s confession. She decides to drop something big and see what happens.

“Third: I’ve never kissed anyone.”

Ryuji blinks, his mouth wide open. Ann’s cheeks pink and the goose bumps comes back, but not for the wind.

“Stop staring!”

"Sorry! It’s just… difficult to believe that one. You’ve been everyone’s interest since you moved to Japan during middle school.”

“Yeah, they’ve treated me like some sort of exotic animal for three years and have been calling me names since the first year of high school. I’m not sure that counts as ‘attraction’.”

Ryuji starts to scratch the back of his neck again. “Sooo, that was the true one, I guess?”

“I’ve visited Paris twice with my parents, so yes. That last one was true.”

Silence falls between them like a coat. Ann can’t help but tormenting her lips with her teeth and her fingertips with her nails. Stupid, she’s been stupid. She should have chosen any other subject for embarrassing herself without ruining the mood. Stupid Ann.

Ryuji gets a little closer to her, their bodies now mere inches away from one another. She curls up and rests her chin on her knee, doesn’t look the boy. She can see now why Futaba loved so much sitting that way.

“Sorry, that prolly was a terrible idea after all.”

“Oh no, don’t worry. It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t say such serious things, this is a school trip, isn’t it?” replies Ann, still fixing her sneakers.

She pulls her hair, tightening the left ponytail out of pure nervousness, and repeats the action with the right one. She forces it a little further back and the hair band cracks. The ponytail loosens altogether, and she digs for the hair band in a mess of blond curls.

“Jeez, they were my favourites. At least I have some spare ones in my room.”

She unties the left ponytail as well. A sudden warmth covers her hears, her neck ad her back. She adjusts the hair as best as she can with her hands and turns her head to Ryuji.

And catches him staring.

“I thought I said stop! Is something wrong?”

Ryuji exhales, as if capable of breathing again. “No! Hell, no! Just the opposite. I think you’re prettier with your hair down like this.”

Ann thinks about mocking him a bit. About some witty comeback. Considers smacking his arm a second time. ‘Am I normally not pretty enough?’ she could joke.

She doesn’t.

“Thanks.”

Her gaze shifts back to the tiled floor and she closes the distance between them so their shoulders can finally meet. For some reason that Ann can’t figure out, Ryuji’s skin is a lot warmer than hers. She leans in even more decisively, rests her head on his shoulder longing for more of that heat.

“It’s almost 2 a.m. in a place by the ocean, why are you so warm with only a tank top while I’m left longing for my sweater? It’s not fair.”

She sighs and closes her eyes, shifts to find a comfortable position.

Ryuji gasps, his body stiff.

Ann’s eyes swing open as realization comes to her. They were talking about personal matters and non-existing love life just moments before. He’d opened to her and she’d been honest to him in return, it could be easy to assume that contact was deliberate, too. But it wasn’t. It isn’t.

_Stop it Ann, it’s Akira the one who flirts with every human being without even noticing, not you-_

Well, maybe she did that too, sometimes. Rarely, she tells herself, ignoring on purpose her Metaverse outfit with latex suit, cat tail and everything.

She begins to straighten, chills down her spine and fire on her face. Maybe Akira would appreciate some help with Mishima.

Another head sets down on hers.

“Sorry,” Ryuji murmurs “I know it’s… kinda weird, but it feels nice, too.”

He squeezes them even closer, their sides all touching from arms to feet. Ann’s blood pounds in her hears as a drum, her breath trapped in her lungs. Why can’t she move? It’s only Ryuji. The classmate from middle school with whom she had lost all contacts from the first day of high school. The punk nobody at Shujin was willing to deal with. The partner in crime that stuck by her side from the very beginning of the Phantom Thieves. And probably the only Shujin student aside from Shiho who put the blame on Kamoshida instead of her, even before Akira and the calling card.

She is hyperaware of everything. Her neck starting to ache for the crooked position, every single point of contact between them and the heat from Ryuji’s body spreading on hers. Her mind is running wild, picking up scenarios from her imagination with no order, no basis. _What if I hug him? Hold his hand? Stand up and run away?_

But there’s one thing she’s too afraid of even moulding into a picture. A slippery thought, but a persisting one. _What if I kiss him?_

Impossible. Too embarrassing. Too many consequences. A ton of complicated feelings. And a corny cliché.

“Are you ok, Ann? If it’s too much- “

She slips from their position, catches the boy’s eyes. Ryuji sits still, mouth slightly open and a hand half-stretched towards her left mid-air.

A corny, stupid cliché. And yet.

Ann moves from Ryuji’s side and kneels in front of him. She grabs the front of his tank top with both hands and gently, slowly pulls him closer. Her lips tremble before Ryuji’s faint breath and her hands flicker, a total blackout in her mind. She searches for his gaze one more time and finds brown pupils staring back, dilated by amazement and stained with fear.

His eyes close and Ryuji bridges the last gap between them in her stead.

It’s soft, unsure and too short. Ryuji moves away and Ann wants more and could hardly care less of clichés. She tightens the grip on his top and kisses him again, eyes shut and face hot.

She has a better touch of his lips, and they’re colder than she has expected. And clumsy as he shifts a bit in the kiss, but neither of them knows what to do in the end. His right hand moves from mid-air to Ann’s hair, intertwines with the messy curls at the base of her neck, drawing her even closer. He leans back against the wall and Ann follows without breaking contact.

She parts to grasp some air, but Ryuji’s lips are on hers again in no time, bold and eager, kissing hard. Irritancy twists her guts, as if there was a battle between them that she can’t lose. So, she bites lightly on Ryuji’s lower lip. The boy’s mouth parts as a gasp escapes him, and Ann searches for his tongue without thinking twice.

Ryuji hums in surprise but doesn’t back off, following Ann’s tongue with his in an unexperienced dance. Their teeth clash more than once and Ann must cut her laughter, preventing it from interrupting the moment.

They draw back, their breathing uneven. Ann looks at Ryuji’s face and finds astonishment, near panic, but also an immense tenderness and an almost reverential stare. She reaches out for his parted lips, tracing their shape in disbelief.

“What – what has just happened?”

Ryuji’s eyes twinkle. “I dunno, but man. Feel free to do it again at any time.”

“You’re so dummy, oh my god.”

She cups his face and seals their lips together once more, adding more pressure, experimenting with bites. She moves her legs to stay more comfortable in his lap, one knee on each side. He runs his free hand along her tight, squeezing every now and then, causing her to shudder.

Ann parts from his mouth, turns her head and nuzzles Ryuji’s neck, enjoying her name said through panting. She smirks as she approaches his earlobe with her lips, anticipating a sweet reaction.

And her phone buzzes non-stop in the front pockets of her shorts, the ringtone muffled by the jeans tissue. She would have ignored a message notification without much trouble, but a call was an entirely different question.

“It’s… Makoto?” she says as Ryuji casts her a questioning look.

“Hello? Makoto?”

“Ann, are you alright? Akira told me you and Ryuji sneaked out of his room after Mishima didn’t feel good. Is everything ok?”

“Yes! Absolutely! Why shouldn’t it be ok?”

‘Your acting is terrible’ mouths Ryuji in her direction. She mutes her phone and grabs his chin in her free hand, bites gently at his bottom lip and licks it for only a moment. Ryuji squeezes his left hand still on her tight but freezes and makes no other comments.

“It’s past two in the morning and you two have been missing from your room for at least two hours. I overlooked that in my round because you’re my friends, but I want you to know that another patrol will start in minutes and it won’t be me this time.”

“Jeez, thank you very much Makoto. We’ll be back in no time. I owe you a crêpe!”

“I will only accept payment in the form of you telling me _everything_ that happened tonight.”

“Why do you think something- “

“Ann.”

“Oh my god. Fine! Ok!”

“Hurry up and come back, you two. And don’t be late for breakfast tomorrow morning, it’s the last day.”

“Yeah, sure. See you tomorrow Makoto, and thanks again.”

She hangs up the phone and shoves it back again in her pocket.

Ryuji throws a puzzled look at her as she’s trying to get up again. “How fucked up are we?”

“None if we hurry and at least go back to Akira’s room. We’re not supposed to answer a knock on the door if we’re sleeping, but we’re not supposed to be out here either.”

She stretches a hand towards him and help him get on his feet too. They exchange a brief look before turning their heads away, both with their cheeks deep red.

“Makoto is totally going to make me spill everything and Akira won’t be any better. Should other people get to know about… _this_, I'm going to murder you with my hands and make all look like it was some shadow’s fault. Clear enough?”

Ryuji gulps, terror on his face. “Transparent as water.”

“Good” she says and kisses him one last time “then let’s go back to the room.”

**Author's Note:**

> Next one in the collection will be: Persona 5 - Post-Canon!Akira
> 
> P.S. Thanks LiS Before the Storm and Rachel Amber for the 'two truths and a lie' game. It was pretty fun to write and heartwarming to read.
> 
> Comments and kudos always appreciated!


End file.
